France EU Member
Overview 
Capital: Paris Â
Official EU language(s): French Â
EU Member State: since 1 January 1958
Currency: euro (€)
Euro area: member since 1 January 1999
Schengen: member since 26 March 1995 Â
Figures: Â
- Geographical size: 638 475 km2 Â
- Population: 68 401 997 (2024)  Â
(Source: Eurostat  – figures for geographical size and population) 
Political system
France is a semi-presidential republic with a prime minister, who is the head of government, appointed by the president who is the directly elected head of state. France’s territory consists of 18 administrative regions: 13 metropolitan (i.e. Continental France) and 5 overseas regions. All 5 of the overseas regions, as well as Saint-Martin (a French territory in the Caribbean), are considered part of the EU (with the status of outermost region). Strasbourg is one of the three official seats of the European institutions. The others are Brussels and Luxembourg City.Â
Trade and economy
France ranks eleventh in the European Union in terms of GDP per capita with €38 000, which is above the EU average (€37 600). It accounts for 16.6% of the EU’s total GDP. Â
(Source: Eurostat - figures for GDP per capita and GDP) 
Budgets and funding
How does France benefit from the EU budget?
The EU budget is the tool to ensure that Europe remains a democratic, peaceful, prosperous and competitive force. The EU uses it to finance its priorities and big projects that most individual EU countries could not finance on their own.   Â
The benefits of EU membership significantly exceed the size of the EU budget contributions and the examples are many. All Member States benefit from being part of the Single Market, a shared approach to the common challenges of migration, terrorism and climate change, and concrete gains like better transport infrastructure, modernised and digitalised public services and cutting-edge medical treatment.  Â
How much each EU country pays into the EU budget is calculated fairly. The larger your country’s economy, the more it pays – and vice versa. Â
The EU budget is not about giving and taking – it’s about collectively contributing to making Europe and the world a better place for us all.   Â
EU-funded projects in France  Â
Money from the EU budget helps fund programmes and projects in all EU countries – for example to build roads, subsidise researchers and protect the environment.  Â
Find out more about how France benefits from EU funding and recovery funds in your country or region. Â
